5 Ways to Stay Active During the Holiday Season

3. Make Family Time

Traditionally, the holiday season means spending time with family. It's also a time to eat, drink and be merry with loved ones. Why not move together as well?

Play simple games like tag or hide-and-go-seek with your young nieces and nephews. There are countless games you can find with a quick Google search.

Or, after every meal, encourage a 30-minute family walk around the neighborhood. This way you will squeeze in a light workout and bond with family members. The walk may not burn 1,000 calories, but it sure beats going back for more pumpkin pie.

4. Head Out in the Snow

Snow is a favorite piece of "fitness equipment" during the holiday season. If you are going to be surrounded by snow this year, take advantage of it.

Go skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing or ice-skating. Perhaps have a friendly snowball fight. Or build a snowman. It beats sitting on the couch all afternoon. If those activities don't interest you, then grab a shovel and start clearing the driveway—it's a great full-body workout.

5. BYOE (Bring Your Own Equipment)

If you know that you won't have access to a gym then bring portable fitness equipment such as tubing, Valslides, a TRX suspension trainer or the TRX RIP trainer. These are all small, simple solutions that will fit right into your suitcase or carry-on bag.

If you have access to a suspension trainer and a RIP trainer, here's a quick workout for you to try. It involves four full-body moves. Perform 10 to 15 reps of each exercise for 2 to 3 sets. You'll get a great workout in that will only take about 15 to 20 minutes.

Beat the weight-gain battle. These low-cost, simple solutions will help you maintain an active and healthy holiday season.

Related Items

About the Author

Doug Balzarini, CSCS, MMA-CC

Doug Balzarini, CSCS, MMA-CC, is a fitness professional and the founder of DB Strength in San Diego. He is also the head strength and conditioning coach for Alliance Training Center where he works with many top professional MMA athletes. Visit www.dbstrength.com for more information.

Within 2 Miles

Activities near you will have this indicator

Within 2 Miles

ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.